Saturday, January 5, 2008

If any of you are afraid of being known, it can be anonymous. You can contact me privately at my personal e-mail. thefamilycircus8@gmail.com You can also call the sex crimes hotline and remain anonymous (the detective said they will only take your personal info. if you are willing and no one will come to your home, etc.)(904) 630-2168JSOSexcrimes@jaxsheriff.orgYou can call with just tips or leads - if that is all you have, it is still worthwhile.I know it can be intimidating, there is no need to expose you as a victim, we just need your testimony. No one outside the investigative team has to know.Thank you.

Friday, January 4, 2008

This blog is about the sexual improprieties involving Pastor Darrell Gilyard of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist church in Jacksonville, Florida and his long history of the same problems in other churches since atleast 1991.

What I am about to write about is not vengeance, it is not from a spirit of hatred or judgement. I truly wish this person had gotten help and would stop his behaviors. But the truth is, he has not. He is a predator and he misuses his standing as a pastor. I have hoped for the last 17 years that he had changed and repented. But, sadly, he has not. Because of this there are more victims, and probably more to come.

We can only stop him if we all stand up together and say, "It is enough."

Most of the time when these things come to light, people sit at home thinking, why hasn't someone done something? Well, I am. It is past time.

I have a personal testimony of this man preying on me as an 18 year old. I left the matter in the churches hands as did all of the other girls and women who came forward at that time. We truly thought he would never preach again based on all of the sexual improrieties against him. He targets and preys on women and young girls - especially those who may be slightly vulnerable and seeking counsel from him. He uses this time to find there weaknesses and to make them feel as if they can trust him (as their Pastor) then he begins to come on to them and has been repeatedly accused of rape. Some women and girls have "consented" to a physical relationship. But, in his position this is in no way alright! No matter what he convinced them, they are still VICTIMS! He had asked me to come to Texas to be on staff at his church, he used this to get closer to me. I trusted and looked up to him as a Spiritual Leader. I was blessed to get away from him the night he tried to get me to go to his hotel room. I literally ran away from him. He ran after me and was not apologetic or remorseful when confronted later.

I know there are more women and girls (other than the two girls who have bravely recently come forward) who have been victimized by him. Even if you feel it was only innappropriate conversation, messages, letters, e mails, text messages, he has done all of these things. Some of these things happened with me in 1991.IT IS WRONG NO MATTER WHAT! HE IS IN A LEADERSHIP POSITION AND IT IS TIME SOMEONE SPEAK OUT AND STOP HIM.

Church leaders: Isn't it time to say you no longer qualify for a ministry position?Step up to the plate. You as Pastors will have to answer to the Lord for not protecting the innocent. He will face enough judgement from the Lord when his time comes, but what about the girls and women he damages in the process.

One brave soul, Pastor George Harvey Jr. stepped up to the plate to try to warn the church - they overlooked his information. They should be held accountable. But one voice is not enough, we need more Godly men to step up and say, you have had your chance to repent and change - no more.Will you join us in standing up for ourselves and making him stop? Please do not be intimidated. We will all stand together and support each other and in numbers, he cannot make this go away again. In 1991 there were not enough willing to stand up and testify, although there were many with stories, it never left the Pastors Committee investigating and some went to the media.

This time they need BRAVE women to step up. All we need is your testimony. You may even be able to remain anonymous. We just need to know how many more are afraid to tell.17 years have gone by, for me, in which I knew he was still victimizing and there was nothing I could do. Please don't find yourself sitting back and watching it happen to someone else and live with the guilt of not stepping up with us.

He has been forced to leave 4 different churches due to sexual improprities, several of which he admitted to, and he is now Pastoring a mega church. There are two minor aged girls who have just come forward. I decided it was time to rise up with them. Will you answer the call?

I have prayed for guidance and wisdom. I truly pray he will get real help and repent. If he had already done that, I would not be doing this. But, I can not sit back and let it happen again and again. He has taken a PAID leave of absence from the church while it is being investigated. If this was the first allegation against him, that would be one thing. But it is at every church he pastors dating all the way back to 1987 and even many churches he has just been a guest speaker in the past. That is some coincidence. He is a phenominal Preacher, many souls have been saved due to his messages, but the sins going on behind that facade are the issue.

I feel for his family, his current wife, his two children. But, they have been through this with him many times before. He has victimized his family also by putting them through this. But, I believe he is ill. I believe that God can help him, but he has to be repentant first.

Scripture

Psalm 17:8-13 says, "Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me. They close up their callous hearts, and their mouths speak with arrogance. (vs.13) Rise up oh Lord, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked with your sword."